Last season, we came agonisingly close to clinching our first Premier League title, and Philippe Coutinho thinks that Brendan Rodgers’ slightly odd motivational tactic had something to do with it.
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According to the London Evening Standard, the Brazilian magician revealed that the boss spoke to all of the players’ mothers, and asked them to pen a letter to their sons. The Northern Irishman would then read one of the letters before most of the games during the season, and Coutinho believes that it had a very positive impact on the side, and brought them closer together.
“We were getting really strong, powerful words and it pushed us so much,” he said.
The 22-year-old has had a fantastic season for us this year, having built on the success of last season, and he said – with his family not around – that it meant a lot to him to hear his mum’s pride in how he was getting on.
“At first, I didn’t know that the manager would be reading a letter from her, then he mentioned her name and I was really overwhelmed. It said she loved me, is proud of me, is always with me and missing me,” he added.
“There was more, but those are just the words I needed to hear. It filled me up. The other players were also really moved because every week, regardless of whose mother it was with the message, we were all inspired and emotional,” Coutinho explained.
Some of the best coaches down the years have employed slightly bizarre methods to achieve the end goal of success on the pitch, and this move from Rodgers helped take us closer to the Premier League title than we have ever been. Hopefully, he has another maverick trick up his sleeve to help take us back to where we belong.